1. Field of Endeavor
The description relates to yard hydrants and more particularly to a system to support and service a yard hydrant.
2. Background Information
A hydrant is an outlet from a fluid main often consisting of an upright pipe with a valve attached from which fluid such as water or fuel may be tapped. An adjective, such as fire, water, and yard may be added to the term hydrant to characterize the type of fluid involved.
Utility yard hydrants are similar to common household water spigots except that yard hydrants usually are located far away from any structure and the yard hydrant has a different construction. Yard hydrants provide clean water to various locations during all seasons of the year, including when the temperature drops below freezing. Typically, they are manufactured and installed in such a way that they will operate throughout the winter without auxiliary heat being supplied to the yard hydrant.
In particular to the installation, a valve end of the yard hydrant is buried underground to a depth typically of at least three feet. Many city ordinances dictate varying soil composition and compact requirements. Complying with the city ordinance usually requires hiring a contractor and is difficult and expensive.
Yard hydrants are essential to farms, rural household locations, and other remote locations. They provide running water for livestock, lawns, and garden from a pressurized water supply pipe line connected to a main water service line. Where these outdoor hydrants are exposed to freezing temperatures, the hydrant sometimes becomes frozen.
Should a yard hydrant freeze, prudence requires that the frozen yard hydrant be thawed as soon as possible to avoid damage. If the yard hydrant is frozen below ground level, the yard hydrant head assembly conventionally is removed have to be removed and hot water poured down the inside of the riser pipe. This usually is accomplished by soldering a copper tube to a funnel and pouring the hot water through the funnel and tube to the point inside the riser pipe where the ice has formed. The tube is pushed down the riser pipe as the ice melts. This is a time consuming, cumbersome, and exhausting task, especially during the freeze of winter when a yard hydrant typically freezes.
A frozen riser pipe may burst. When the riser pipe bursts, the yard hydrant must be replaced. Conventionally, to replace the yard hydrant, the dirt around the valve portion of the hydrant first must be dug up. Then, the old hydrant is unscrewed from the supply line, the new hydrant is installed, and the dirt is filled back in and compacted to meet city ordinance requirements. This is a time consuming and exhausting task, especially during the freeze of winter when a yard hydrant typically bursts.
What is needed is system to more easily support a yard hydrant and reduce the effort needed to replace a broken yard hydrant.